Spear's Review

Inspired by watching his father – who owned a building contracting company – create buildings that took shape from drawings and sketches on paper, Jon Courtney-Thompson 'came to love the act of making'. 

He co-founded Courtingtons and serves as director of architecture, working alongside Sue Hetherington, who leads the firm's landscape architecture offering.

He tells Spear's that his 'real passion is the design and creation of wonderful country homes'. Indeed, his work focuses on residences in the English countryside and uses the native landscape as a basis for enhancing a home.

His knowledge of sustainable and ecological design techniques has made him particularly appealing to families looking to live a more off-grid lifestyle. Under Courtney-Thompson's direction, rural projects have soared, including a commission to design a new eco-house set on 200 acres of land. He remarks that the project will integrate an 'innovative approach to agri-forestry'.

The firm's focus on innovation has contributed to a loyal pool of clients; Courtney-Thompson notes that it has 'designed seven houses for just one client'.